


midnight sky

by g0ldendays



Category: Formula 2 RPF, Motorsport RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27400447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/g0ldendays/pseuds/g0ldendays
Summary: Marcus is in a bad mood. Callum knows how to help.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	midnight sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eliotthawke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliotthawke/gifts).



> It's been far too long since I've written these two and their dynamic is very fascinating. Just a quick thing I wrote! I feel like Marcus would either shut down entirely in a bad mood or just get. really mean and bitchy. I also feel like Callum knows exactly how to deal with it - which is a mix of bitching back and being understanding.

Marcus can get... mean if he's in a terrible mood. He doesn't get into terrible moods often, and he regrets everything he says afterwards, but it's how he copes with feeling awful. Probably not the best way to cope, but considering he usually locks himself in the house all day, he doesn't offend too many people. The one downside of locking himself in the house all day is that he doesn't live alone. Callum's gotten quite good at reading his mood in the past few years since they started living together in Maranello and knows it's best to leave Marcus alone when he's having one of those days. 

There's knocking on his bedroom door, just as Marcus turns over in bed, intending to sleep for another 3 hours. They don't have anywhere to be today and he woke up feeling like he wants to throw something at a wall. "Marcus?" Of course it's Callum, he's probably made breakfast as he usually does when they have a day off and they're both at home.

"Fuck off," Marcus says, instead of the usual 'I'll be there in a sec', and it's quiet for a second.

"One of those days?" Callum asks and Marcus throws the nearest object, a shoe, at his bedroom door. "I'll put it in the fridge, if you're hungry later." And it goes quiet again as Callum's footsteps recede back into the kitchen. It doesn't help Marcus' mood, because now he feels even worse for being rude when Callum made him breakfast. Going back to sleep proves fruitless as he keeps tossing and turning, and going on his phone doesn't do his mood any good either. Someone's tagged him in a picture on Instagram of his first podium of the year, in Spielberg, and it just reminds him that everything has gone to shit since. He resists the urge to throw his phone, dropping it back on the nightstand instead and deciding to go for the breakfast in the fridge after all. 

Callum doesn't pay him any mind as Marcus takes a seat in the armchair in the living room with the plate of scrambled eggs he got from the fridge, and Marcus appreciates it more than he'd probably ever tell his roommate. He'll explain himself once he gets out of this mood, but who knows how long that'll take. The first time he had one of these days, when they'd just been living together, Callum had attempted to cheer him up and it had resulted in a huge shouting match between the two of them. Marcus had later apologised and made it up to him by doing the dishes for a week - and Callum knew how much Marcus hated doing the dishes. 

Marcus knows Callum's watching him to try and gauge how bad his mood is, but he just eats his scrambled eggs and watches some detective show on TV. It's in Italian and he doesn't really understand anything, but it's better than answering questions or explaining his mood. Callum will get it out of him eventually, he has a way of getting Marcus to tell the truth that even his own mom never quite managed to find. His phone buzzes just as he finishes his eggs and he feels his temper flare up immediately. But it's just Callum dm'ing him a cute dog video, and it does lift his spirits just a little bit. "I'm right here, you know," Marcus says as he watches the video again. Fine, he's not big on animals but a cute little dog does get to him, he's not heartless. His phone buzzes again. _I know_ , Callum's sent him. _You didn't seem to be in a talking mood._ Marcus sighs as he drops his phone in his lap. "I wasn't."

"Better now?" Callum asks, verbally this time. Marcus shrugs. They still have a few weeks off before Bahrain, but he's already dreading it. His season hasn't gone according to plan, at all, and he's nowhere near a respectable amount of points. Even Callum had more points last year, and he was with a team that wasn't as good as ART. Just the idea of having to do 4 more races at the back makes him wanna go back to bed and hide there for the next month or two. He knows Formula 2 has a steep learning curve, and that tyre management is difficult, and that the team isn't working with him as well as he's used to from Prema. But struggling for a single point every race isn't fun, especially not when he knows he can do better. Marcus knows he's much better than his 14th place in the standings might suggest, and the season had started off so well. But he'd barely scored a point after the second round, and he still wasn't really sure what caused the sudden decline in his performance from Hungary onwards. Punctures every other race, often through no fault of his own, the fire extinguisher going off in Spa, dropping down the field when he finally managed to qualify well... It'd be enough to drive any driver insane. It's like everyone else found some button on their steering wheel for extra speed and performance that Marcus didn't have. It's started to make him question his own ability. What if he really was only good because of the Prema car? This was his first season away from Prema, and it didn't look good. "Marcus?"

Instead of saying any of that, sharing any of his thoughts, Marcus shrugs again. Callum didn't share any of these struggles this year, and he did a lot better last year than Marcus is currently doing. "Is it the way the season's going?" his roommate guesses. 

"Like you would know anything about it," Marcus says in a reflex. "You're second in the championship and you didn't do as horribly last year as I'm doing now." Callum blinks at him slowly, clearly not expecting the sudden attack. "You weren't in a top team in your first year and didn't absolutely blow it. You didn't look like an absolute clown next to your teammate, like you've suddenly forgotten how to drive a car."

It'd be easier if Callum just snapped back at him, called him a shit driver - because he _is_ \- and left him to his devices because he's being rude, again. "Listen to me," Callum says then, unusually sharp. "No, shut up and listen to me," he adds when Marcus opens his mouth to argue. "You are not a shit driver. You're hardly the first ART driver struggling next to a teammate nor are you the first to have a terrible time in your rookie year. It sucks, I've watched you lose confidence throughout the year and it's ridiculous because it's _normal_ to struggle in your first year with tyres and a new car. God knows I did. Juan did. Mick did." The other rookie names from last year are implied, Marcus can read between the lines. "I got one podium on merit, in Barcelona, and the second was purely because some absolute bullshit happened in front of me and I happened to get through unscathed. I didn't understand a single thing about the tyres until Monza, en even then I made dumb mistakes." 

"I am terrible," Marcus snaps. "You had double the amount of points I have now in your first year." 

Callum throws a pillow at his head and Marcus catches it just in time, nearly dropping the plate in his lap in the process. "Shut up. The trophies on that shelf tell a different story. Are you gonna sit here for another 3 weeks and feel sorry for yourself? Or are you gonna tell me what you struggle with so I can try to help you?"

"We're rivals, why would you help me?"

"Rivals," Callum repeats mockingly, "like you believe that. Like we haven't been friends first and foremost for the better part of 3 years. _Rivals._ " That shuts Marcus up. "Done raging?" Marcus nods quietly, because Callum is right. He usually is, but Marcus won't ever admit he thinks that. "Get dressed, we're going for a walk because you've been sat in the house all week. We're gonna get coffee and you're gonna tell me everything else that's on your mind about this season, and we're gonna try and fix it. I can't stand seeing you think so lowly of yourself when it's bloody normal to have a bad time in your first year." 

Marcus' first reflex is to argue, because he doesn't like sharing his thoughts or, god forbid, feelings, but he doesn't. Maybe it'd be good to share it with Callum for once, get everything out of his system instead of overthinking it time after time because every non-score is another kick to the gut. So he nods instead. 

"Alright, good. Go get dressed then, bring your Maranello access pass because I want free coffee, and let's bloody talk." 

The urge to scream and throw things at a wall has receded by the time they get to the factory because it's sunny out, they're getting coffee and for once, Marcus doesn't feel so alone.

**Author's Note:**

> The [cute dog video in question](https://www.instagram.com/p/B-J6UH4pcM9/) always cheers me up, I love it so much. Just look at the little ears, oh my god.
> 
> Comments are much appreciated! 💜


End file.
